Testing Times
by Julie Ann Pope
Summary: based on spoilers for series three, episode eight. Rachel and Janet's friendship appears to be in tatters, Gill's gone missing and Julie loses her cool. Gill/Julie femslash.


**Author's Note: **based on spoilers for series three, episode eight. Rachel and Janet's friendship appears to be in tatters, Gill's gone missing and Julie loses her cool. Gill/Julie femslash.

* * *

Sammy Murray sat alone in a furnished room at Manchester Metropolitan Police's Headquarters with his head in his hands. A vending machine full to the brim with crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks glowed eerily at the back of the room and the hot drinks dispenser next to it hummed loudly as water was continuously boiled and cooled. As a child of two police officers he was no stranger to worrying about the safety of his parents and the dangers they faced in the line of duty. This time however, he knew that his mother had definitely gone missing, presumed kidnapped, and the clock had been ticking for more than twenty four hours now. His father had been less than helpful, as he had waltzed in on the investigation and threw his weight around as though his rank would have magically made his ex-wife reappear. Sammy hadn't known why his father was even bothered, especially as he considered the frostiness between his long-divorced parents. He could only think that it had been a ploy to buy his favour if he had been the one to find his mother.

However, DSI Julie Dodson was the actual senior investigating officer on the case and Sammy couldn't think of anyone better than his mum's best friend to be in charge of the rescue mission. Sammy had known her since he was a kid and she had basically become his honorary aunt. She entered the room in a whirl and made her way straight over to his side.

"Sorry I couldn't get out sooner love. We've found your mum's car in Hyde and I've got officers out there going over it with a fine tooth comb." Julie placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder to hopefully reassure him that she was doing the best she could.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know yet but if they have stopped there then they can't be too far away from the area. I've got multiple uniformed teams searching on foot and speaking to locals. They'll pull out any CCTV that shows the car arriving and in which direction they went afterwards." Julie desperately wanted to get out there herself but as SIO it was her job to control things from one place.

"That woman, she wouldn't hurt her would she?"

"I wish I could say no Sammy but she's volatile and upset. Your mum knows how to handle herself; what not to say and how to alert help if she gets the chance. We will find her, I promise."

"I hate not being able to do anything, I feel so useless!" Sammy teared up and Julie enveloped him in a tight hug. The formidable DSI Dodson would never have shown her vulnerable side normally but Julie had known Sammy for so long they had often shared hugs and the odd heart to heart. He was as close as it came to having a son of her own and he reminded her so much of his mother.

"You're here and that's all that matters. She knows that you love her and that you'll be waiting for her when we do find her."

**Later that afternoon.**

Janet Scott and Rachel Bailey from Gill's own syndicate had been invited to work with Julie and her team to help find their missing boss. They had extensive knowledge of the Bevan case, which was how they had come to suspect that it was Helen Bartlett who had kidnapped Gill. It was clear from the outset that something had happened between the two friends as they didn't appear to have been as in tune with each other as they were normally. But as the investigation went on they seemed to set aside their differences and started to work together towards their mutual goal of finding Gill and getting her home safe and sound.

Janet followed Julie out of the briefing room as she flew out of the door in a rage. Progress had slowed considerably and despite finding Gill's car earlier that day they were no further forward in working out what had happened to her. She'd blown up at everyone and had uncharacteristically let her frustration become apparent.

"That wasn't like you Julie, are you alright?" Julie threw her hands and arms up in the air in a sign of defeat. She'd been trying so hard to hold it all together but without Gill to bounce off of she felt just as lost as everyone else.

"I thought I could handle this; I don't trust anyone else with finding Gill and putting her safety first but it's harder than I thought it would be."

"You're doing a great job."

"Only because you stepped in just then and saved my skin! We need to do more, crank this up a gear. I need to find her Janet, I have to tell her…" Julie tailed off as she realised she had said too much.

"Tell her what?"

"I need to tell her…" Janet raised her eyebrows as it suddenly dawned on her what Julie was getting at.

"Julie, are you in love with Gill?"

"It's a bit pathetic isn't it? You'd think I'd know better at this age." Out of the corner of her eye, Janet spotted movement from outside the room they were in. Rachel signalled that they were needed back in the briefing. Janet and Rachel exchanged a meaningful look and something deep down inside of Janet clicked into place; a release of built up tension, a sudden meaning where there had been none before and a feeling of her place in the world holding some sort of meaning once again.

"I don't think it's pathetic at all and I'm sure she knows that you care about her."

"I hope so."

* * *

Julie allowed Sammy some time alone with his mum and slipped out of the briefing room as they hugged and cried in each other's arms. Gill had been found bound and gagged less than a mile from where she had gone missing; the abandoned car had been a diversion tactic by her kidnapper, who was confirmed as Helen Bartlett. Janet and Rachel had been the officers to piece together the full story and worked out just what Helen's thought process had been. They stood at a distance and looked on in relief and pride that they had managed to put aside their differences and get a good end result together.

Julie stood in the dark and looked out of her office window onto the lively streets of Central Manchester in the last hour of the day. She wrapped her arms around her stomach in an attempt to comfort herself. Julie couldn't hold back the dam indefinitely and cried out her built up frustration and relief.

Gill looked over Sammy's shoulder at Janet as she held her elated son and noticed that Julie had left the room. Janet caught her eye and nodded her head in the direction of the exit and towards Julie's office. Gill finished up her hug with Sammy and asked him to wait with Janet and Rachel for a few minutes while she went off in search of her best friend and the woman who had headed up her rescue mission.

Gill spotted Julie in her darkened office and quietly observed her from the doorway for a while before she cleared her throat and made her presence known. Julie tried to dry her tears subtly with the back of her hand but Gill had already noticed that she'd been crying.

"What's up Slap?" Gill softly asked her best friend.

"Just processing the last couple of days." Julie failed to turn around, still on the edge of an uncomfortable emotional outpouring. Despite their long and close friendship, emotions were still difficult for Julie to express. It was hard enough admitting her feelings to herself most of the time; letting someone else in was an entirely different kettle of fish.

"You and the girls did a great job; I'm back safe and sound and Helen Bartlett is finally locked up where she belongs."

"Yeah." Julie thought that if Janet and Rachel hadn't been there she might have lost it and buggered up the rescue mission. She could see why Gill frequently sang their praises as they had worked together to find their missing boss, despite an obvious breakdown of their own friendship. The trouble was, finding Gill was almost the easy part, dealing with the aftermath of her feelings was going to be much harder. Julie felt the tears as they welled up and spilt down her cheeks again. Gill took several steps closer, reached out and ran a comforting hand down Julie's arm.

"Hey…" Julie turned round and faced her best friend. "…what's all this for? I'm alright." Julie shook her head.

"Ignore me, it's nothing."

"It's clearly not nothing." Gill cupped Julie's left cheek with her right hand and brushed the tears away with her thumb. "Talk to me, we've known each other too long for secrets."

"I can't…" The sorrow on Julie's face almost broke Gill's heart but she found hope in what her best friend wasn't saying.

"Yes you can. Be brave and make this ordeal worth something." Julie had already promised herself that she would have the courage to say aloud what she felt once Gill had been safely returned to them. However, the reality was proving much harder than the script she had prepared in her head.

"If I'd have lost you…" Julie choked on her words as the situation weighed heavily in her heart. "…without telling you…" Gill continued to offer gentle physical comfort and waited patiently for Julie to say what she needed to say. "…how I feel…" However, Gill saw that Julie was really struggling and decided not to prolong her agony.

"I know. Somehow I've always known and I do too. Funny thing about being kidnapped, you get a lot of time to think." Gill tried to pass the comment off in her usual sarcastic manner but today it held a little less humour for Julie.

"Don't even joke about it!" The older woman blinked away some more tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes and sucked in a shuddering breath.

"I'm not, I mean it. I did a lot of thinking about a lot of things, but mostly you. And Sammy of course."

"What do we do now?"

"What two people who have just declared their undying love for each other usually do?" Julie looked at Gill quizzically who simply rolled her eyes. The sarcasm clearly wasn't penetrating Julie's brain today. "Kiss me you damn fool!" Julie tentatively bent her head slightly to allow for their height difference and caught Gill's lips in a gentle but passionate kiss. They kissed languidly for as long as they could without needing a break for air. Julie had wrapped her arms around Gill's body and pulled her closer, while Gill had tangled her hands in Julie's hair to bring her face closer. They pulled apart to look at each other carefully, as they took in the weight of what they had just done and got their breaths back. However, they didn't have much time to think before a not so subtle half laugh/half-cough caught their attention from the doorway. Rachel and Sammy stood there open-mouthed while Janet had a huge grin on her face.

"About bloody time you two! Right, we're off now, unless you want us to drop Sammy home?" Rachel stared at her best friend and wondered how long she'd been holding out on the juiciest piece of gossip she'd ever known.

"You knew?!" She hissed at the blonde but Janet mouthed 'not now' at her and Rachel held her tongue.

"No, I think we're done here too. Julie, are you coming back with us?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Of course I do, I wouldn't have asked otherwise. Besides, I think we've got a lot to talk about?" Julie took in Gill's encouraging yet cheeky look and raised eyebrow and nodded with a slight grin. She doubted Gill's idea of 'talking' involved actual dialogue and words, at least in the immediate future.

"Okay, let me get my things." Gill waited for Julie to sort out her desk and grab her bag and jacket. She held out her hand for the older woman to take as they made their way out of the office. Sammy stared intensely at them as they went to go through the door. He glanced down at their clasped hands and then looked them both in the eye. Julie swallowed with nervousness and Gill couldn't exactly say that she was brimming with confidence. Suddenly he grinned, wedged himself between them and threw an arm around both their shoulders.

"Just wait until Orla finds out that she's going to have two mother-in-laws!"

**Epilogue**

Janet had made it clear to Rachel that she was welcome to come back to her house and stay for as long as she needed but there were several conditions, one of which was to apologise to Tasie and set a better example by not smoking in front of her. They had discussed other house rules and a promise that Rachel would officially end things with Sean. Janet concentrated on the road ahead of her as they had lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

"Rach?"

"Mmm hmm?"

"I've been thinking about everything that's happened the last couple of days; what if you were right?"

"About what?"

"About you and Kevin…" At Rachel's incredulous look Janet shook her head and put a hand on her knee to reassure her. "…no I meant the fact that I was jealous."

"Aww Jan, I didn't mean it. You'll find someone, just give it time."

"No, I mean…what if I was jealous of Kevin?" Rachel's eyebrows shot up in surprise and then slowly but surely a big grin lit up her face. She looked at Janet with a smirk.

"Perhaps we ought to take a leaf out of Godzilla's book and find out?"


End file.
